Language: Mandarin Chinese
Source: 1759 Huangchao Liqi Tushi (皇朝禮器圖式)
Description
Hǔyádāo (虎牙刀) literally means "tiger tooth sword". The weapon appears under that name first in the 1766 Huangchao Liqi Tushi (皇朝禮器圖式), based on a 1759 manuscript. A characteristic of the hǔyádāo is the 1:1 hilt-to-blade ratio. Polearms with those proportions appear in earlier Chinese artwork but do not appear described as hǔyádāo before the Qing.
Two close ups from the "Departure Herald" showing two varieties of large knives with hafts about as long as their blades.
Jiajing reign period (1522-1566 AD), but showing Xuande emperor who ruled from 1399 -1435).
National Palace Museum, Taiwan.
In the literature
Two texts describe this weapon in detail. The aforementioned Huangchao Liqi Tushi and the Gongbu Junqi Zeli. The latter text was first compiled in the 1790s and updated under Jiaqing in 1812. Usually, when items overlap in the two texts the specs are the same, but with the hǔyádāo there are minor differences between the two.
Huangchao Liqi Tushi - Green Standard Army Hǔyádāo
My translation:
謹按 皇朝定製綠營虎牙刀
According to the regulations of the dynasty; Green Standard Army tiger tooth sword.
鍊鐵為之形如寛刃大刀而上銳
Made of forged iron. Shaped like the broad-edged great saber but sharp at the tip
通長五尺四寸二分
Overall 5 chi 2 cun 2 fen long (approx 182.7 cm)
刃長二尺七寸濶一寸一分
Blade 2 chi 7 cun long, wide 1 cun 1 fen (94.5 cm / 3.85 cm)
銎為鐵盤厚二分
Guard is an iron disc two fen thick (approx 7 mm)
柄長與刃等圍三寸七分
The hilt is as long as the blade,
its circumference is 3 cun 7 fen (approx 13 cm, so 41 mm diameter)
木質朱末, 鐵鐓
The wood lacquered with quality vermillion, iron ferrule
Gongbu Junqi Zeli - Hǔyádāo
製造虎牙刀
Construction of the hǔyádāo
虎牙刀每把通長伍尺肆寸伍分
Every hǔyádāo is 5 chi 4 cun 5 fen long (approx 190.75 cm)
內刀刃長貳尺柒寸
The inside edge is 2 chi 7 cun long (approx 94.5 cm)
加鋼折煉
Inserted steel edge, forge folded [body]
錚磨兩面起線
Both sides are polished to make the lines appear
木柄硃紅油
The wooden handle is treated with vermillion red oil
飾錠火漆鐵什件成造
Mounts of fire-lacquered iron finish the construction
The text then continues to specify the exact dimensions of blade and shaft, its construction and how many hours each craftsmen spends on it. It also lists the total, finished weight at around 1440 grams.
Extant examples
If we take the 1:1 hilt-blade ratio as the defining factor of hǔyádāo, a number of antique pieces have turned up that fit the description. They tend to be shorter but heavier than the ones described above, which could be due to an evolution of the weapon itself, or just because the workshops diverged from the standards which happened a lot in Qing China. The regulations were often a wish from the central authority but not strictly followed, especially further from the capital.
An antique hǔyádāo for the Southern Chinese Banner Garrissons.
Marked as belonging to the Han Plain Red Banner.
155 cm long, 2400 grams.
Mandarin Mansion inventory 2023.
